The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has demanded that the Captain Amarinder Singh government should immediately announce monetary package for those who were fighting the big battle against the corona virus pandemic front the front.

In a statement issued from party headquarters, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Harpal Singh Cheema, while lauding the role being played by the unsung heroes of the society, including government, private doctors, healthcare workers, police personnel, sanitation workers and others, who were fighting the battle from the front at the cost of their own lives, said the state government should immediately announce a special monetary package for them.

Citing an example of the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government which had already announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 1 crore each to the next of kin of any healthcare staffer fighting the battle from the front, leading to his/ her death while dealing with Covid-19 cases and extending other financial relief to migrant and other workers holed up at various spot, Cheema said the state government should immediately announce an immediate financial package for them and an ex gratia payment of Rs 1 crore to the families of those die in harness in line with the Delhi decision. He said that if the Delhi government could announce the much-desired relief to the brave corona warriors and others, why couldn’t Amarinder Singh government do it in the state?

Cheema demanded that the state government should, besides announcing a special financial package for those who were fighting against the deadly virus from ground zero, saying the government announce special increments and promotions for the brave fighters and the regularisation of all contractual and outsource and other employees/ workers engaged in the big fight. He also demanded special insurance cover for them.

Cheema reiterated that safety and security of the field staff was of the first and foremost duty of the state government, adding that it should immediately announce ‘risk cover’ amount for them. He demanded that the state government should also provide the ground staff with safety kits to protect themselves from virus infection.

The AAP leader, while demanding the government to make special financial relief announcements for these employees, made a fervent appeal to the people across the state to cooperate with the police and civil administration to fight the formidable battle against corona and establish a decisive win over it.